9 soldiers among 14 dead in fresh clashes

KABUL/ZARANJ (Pajhwok): Nine security officials and five insurgents have been killed during clashes with security forces in different parts of the country, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and officials said on Wednesday.

Five militants were perished in southern Ghazni, Helmand and northern Kunduz provinces in the past 24 hours, the MoD statement said.

It added a huge cache of weapons and 48 bags of explosives were recovered from a car during the operations.

The MoD confirmed eight soldiers died during anti-rebels offensive. One Afghan National Army (ANA) service member was killed and two others wounded in roadside bombing in Nimroz province, Najibullah Hayat, the Dilaram district chief said.

But Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed six Afghan soldiers were killed and a tank destroyed in roadside explosion.